Many style manuals provide instructions for the citation of data, use the tabs above to find the style guide . If the style manual you are using does not address data citations, you can follow these general rules below.

Data comes in a wide variety of formats. Examples include:

spreadsheets

statistical data

interview transcripts

sensor and instrument readings

gene sequences

software source code

* The emerging best practice is to cite data just as you would cite a research article. *

These are the citation elements you need to consider when building a data citation:

Author - Who is the creator of the data set? This can be an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization.

Title - What name is the data set called, or what is the name of the study?

Edition or Version - Is there a version or edition number associated with the data set?

Date -What year was the data set published? When was the data set posted online?

Editor - Is there a person or team responsible for compiling or editing the data set?

Publisher and Publisher Location - What entity is responsible for producing and/or distributing the data set? Also, is there a physical location associated with the publisher? In some cases, the publisher of a data set is different than how we think of the publisher of a book. A data set can have both a producer and a distributor.The producer is the organization that sponsored the author’s research and/or the organization that made the creation of the data set possible, such as codifying and digitizing the data.The distributor is the organization that makes the data set available for downloading and use. Some citation styles (e.g., APA) do not require listing the publisher if an electronic retrieval location is available. However, you may consider including the most complete citation information possible and retaining publisher information even in the case of electronic resources.

Material Designator - What type of file is the data set? Is it on CD-ROM or online? This may or may not be a required field depending on the style manual. Often this information is added in explanatory brackets, e.g. [computer file].

Electronic Retrieval Location -What web address is the data set available at? Is there a persistent identifier available? If a DOI or other persistent identifier is associated with the data set it should be used in place of the URL.

Types of Information That Should Be Cited

Q: What Types of information Should Be Cited?

A: Below is a list of the types of information that should be cited/referenced. Remember, when in doubt ask your professor, librarian or writing tutor for clarification on what to cite.

Data: Any data/datum (qualitative or quantitative). Examples of sources that one might get data from include: census records, statistical data from studies/reports, published scientific studies, published lab reports, etc.

Facts: When facts are not commonly known they should be cited. (Humans are warm blooded,is an example of a commonly known fact while, Beavers are the second largest rodent in the world after the capybara, is an example of not a well known fact.)

Paraphrases and Summaries: Paraphrasing is a restatement of another person’s thoughts or ideas in your own words. A summary is a concise statement of another person’s thoughts or ideas in your own words.

Additional/Supplementary Information: In some cases, especially in history and natural/environmental sciences you may not be able to include all of the information/data or ideas from your research in the body of your own paper. In such cases you can insert supplementary information.

Individual Citation Generators

Citation Styles

Q: What is a Citation Style?

A: Every area of study has a preferred way that subject experts (professors/librarians/researchers) expect to see information cited in research works. Authors write for different purposes and different audiences, and so the citation styles reflect that, thus we continue to use different citation styles for two main reasons: disciplinary differences and tradition.